Jaipur/Kota: More than 59,000 candidates are slated to appear for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination in Kota and Sikar Sunday, with authorities tightening security arrangements even as parents and guardians arrive in the two cities in large numbers to support their wards.In Kota, 32,715 candidates have been issued admit cards for the re-examination that will be conducted from 2pm to 5.15pm across 92 centres. The candidate count is down from the 38,614 who sat for the original exam on May 3, with experts attributing the decline partly to students choosing centres closer to their hometowns this time.“Preparations for the examination have been finalised with the installation of CCTV cameras at all 92 centres across the city,” additional divisional magistrate (City) and NEET retest nodal officer Virendra Yadav said Saturday. “Invigilators at all centres have been assigned responsibilities by their respective centre superintendents,” he added.Yadav said question papers have been kept under a multi-layered security blanket and additional deployment of guards at various bank branches. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has deputed six coordinators and observers to supervise arrangements, he added.A duty magistrate will be posted at every exam centre in the city, while flying squads have been tasked with covering clusters of eight centres each. As part of the arrangements, centre superintendents conducted mock security drills at their respective venues Saturday, Yadav said.Besides the secure storage and transportation of question papers and other confidential material, officials have been asked to ensure strict biometric verification of students, physical frisking, and vigilance against cheating or suspicious activity.Kota city police, meanwhile, held a meeting with representatives of coaching institutes Saturday, asking them to report any issues or irregularities regarding the retest on the Student Helpline number (95304-42778) or the Social Media Helpline number (94688-00005).Sikar, the state’s second major coaching hub, meanwhile, will host more than 27,000 candidates across 96 centres Sunday. Besides extensive administrative and logistical preparations by the district administration, coaching institutes here have stepped up conselling and mentoring ahead of the retest.“We understand the gravity of the situation and are doing everything possible to provide emotional support and a positive environment for students,” said Pradeep Budania, director of Gurukripa Career Institute. “Regular counselling and interaction sessions are being organised to help them cope with exam pressure,” he added.In Sikar Saturday, among the hundreds of parents who have temporarily moved to the city to be with their sons and daughters ahead of the NEET retest, were Churu residents Bharat Poonia and his wife Rachna.“The recent reports of student suicides have worried us. We did not want our daughter Rukshmani to stay alone during this crucial period, so we decided to come and stay nearby,” said Bharat.Suresh Bairwa and his wife Namita from Chomu are another couple to have moved to Sikar to be with their daughter before the retest.“We arrived yesterday, and my wife has been preparing meals not only for our daughter but also for seven of her friends staying in the same hostel. We want them to feel supported and cared for during this stressful time,” Bairwa said.Similar stories abound in Kota as well.An IAS officer posted in Madhya Pradesh has been staying at a hotel in the nation’s coaching capital the past 10 days to support his son.“I make it a point to spend at least an hour with my son every day. We have lunch and dinner together, and I often stay awake through the night while he studies. At this stage, emotional support is as important as academic preparation,” the officer, who did not wish to be named, said.Coaching experts have urged students not to dwell on the cancelled NEET exam but to treat the retest as an opportunity to give their very best performance.
